While taking a pleasant morning walk through the woods, it was easy to forget about the pressing news stories of the moment. Iran, Korea, the Mueller investigation, the Stormy Daniels Revue... none of them mattered in that tranquil shady glade. And none compare to the biggest issue of them all: Climate Change.
We've delved into this topic before (see http://thedailykibitz.blogspot.com/2017/09/what-i-learned-on-my-summer-vacation.html) but let's take another look. Most people recognize Climate Change is happening and is affected primarily by Humans. It means our world will continue getting hotter, and colder. With lots of extreme weather events in between. Like floods and droughts and such. And these will trigger famines and epidemics and large-scale immigration/refugee mass movements that will destabilize entire regions, collapse economies and spark widespread deadly violence. Unless a coordinated worldwide effort quickly curtails the dismal current trajectories.
So, how bad is it right now, really? Let's take a very brief but revealing look at the history of our planet's temperature variations since 20,000 b.c. (a tip of the hat to our Daily Kibitz Environmental Expert "Pete LaP" for this terrific graphic outline.)
https://xkcd.com/1732/
Wow! That's quite a radical swerve when we arrive at today. But let's go back even further. How about 56 million years ago, to when we last experienced a temperature and CO2 surge similar to what we are experiencing now? What happened back then?
Well, things got strange. Animals became much smaller. Widespread migrations and extinctions. Oceans became acidic and marine life adapted or died. Intense floods and severe droughts. Scientists who study this period get freaked when they see our current comparable data:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/03/27/this-ancient-climate-catastrophe-is-our-best-clue-about-earths-future/?utm_term=.59bf4a59ead3
Immediate changes are taking place in your backyard. The Center for Disease Control has issued an advisory regarding ticks, mosquitoes and the diseases they carry. As the climate heats up, these bugs (and their attendant pathogens) will enjoy themselves longer and find their way northwards to new homes and targets.
What else is happening right now? The Paris Accord is having some positive effect. Despite the United States being the only country not participating, the rest of the world community is making efforts towards fulfilling promised goals. It ain't easy, and many nations won't come close to meeting their marks. The alternative is a rerun of what happened 56 million years ago. Here is what we are up against:
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/4/30/17300946/global-warming-degrees-replace-fossil-fuels
Yikes, China's CO2 output is gargantuan. But it appears they've put a lid on it and are working to reduce the rate. The US and Europe look reasonable. The real problem appears to be The Third World. It depends on dirty energy (coal and oil) for its energy and economic infrastructure. So, can these countries get behind renewable energy like Wind, Solar, Hydro, etc.? Not if Energy Secretary Rick (I Wear Glasses To Look Smart) Perry has anything to do with it! Here's what he opined about the Third World embracing clean energy:
https://thinkprogress.org/rick-perry-shifting-off-fossil-fuels-immoral-58eca749f006/
Oy vey. What a jackass. It's so ironic that he is now the head of the Department that he couldn't remember when asked what he'd cut from the government if elected President.
At least we're not living in a Third World country, yet. We could be living in languid luxury, on some small tropical island. With Gilligan. The Skipper, too. Except, oh! Watch out for that wave:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/04/25/climate-change-could-make-thousands-of-tropical-islands-uninhabitable-in-coming-decades-new-study-says/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.cc4b2e7056af
Well, if they go under, they won't have to decide upon the immorality of using renewable energy. This does, though, get back to the immense Climate Change-related problem of Oceans. Fossil fuel CO2 emissions act as heat amplifiers in the atmosphere, ramping up wild swings with jet streams and locking in static weather patterns. But the CO2 effects on oceans are equally pernicious. Carbon dioxide gets absorbed into the water; in fact, oceans hold a vast reservoir of the chemical. Too much of it and things go sour. The ocean temperature rises with the air temps. And the pH level changes, too; oceans become more acidic, killing coral reefs and wiping out fish habitats.
In certain key spots, like Greenland and Antarctica, the air/water temp increase results in the melting and collapse of immense glaciers and ice shelves. This wreaks havoc on the regional ocean balance of temperature and salinity. These are the essential elements needed for the planet's crucial ocean current conveyor belt.
The huge melt-off in Greenland and now Antarctica are adding to the slow-down of this marine interstate. As it slows down, the land regions dependent on its ocean-borne temperatures will change. Imagine Great Britain and Northern Europe cooling off by 10 degrees average. It ain't pretty at all:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/slow-motion-ocean-atlantics-circulation-is-weakest-in-1-600-years/
On the other hand, ocean levels will continue to rise. The only question is how much? That is what is now being studied in an unprecedented joint effort between the US and Britain. As things look now, it could get wet for Miami come mid-century:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/03/30/antarctic-loss-could-double-expected-sea-level-rise-by-2100-scientists-say/?utm_term=.969deb7ef32d
Well, at least we can say that those individuals who held responsibility for fossil fuel emissions saw all this coming decades ago. They knew it, and they paid good money to distract, deflect and misinform. Shell and Exxon knew, and if they did, so did the other oil giants:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/exxon-knew-about-climate-change-almost-40-years-ago/
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/05042018/shell-knew-scientists-climate-change-risks-fossil-fuels-global-warming-company-documents-netherlands-lawsuits
But don't worry, because we have Scott Pruitt and the full power of the Environmental Protection Agency to put the brakes on all this! Aaaargghh!!
Why, it's just enough to make one want to take another pleasant morning stroll through the woods! What a nice idea. What is even nicer is to stroll through lovely nature with an amazing song stuck in the brain. That's what happened today. And maybe it will happen tomorrow. Try it for yourself. Here is the ArchAndroid herself, the Goddess of all she surveys, the pansexual deity of our time, she who we are not worthy to share this world, the genius, Janelle Monae:
Oh, go on and play it! It's three minutes of Pop Bliss. It's wonderfully fun, transporting and a fine intro to Monae if you're not aware of her terrific work. And a great way to segue from too much gloom! Let the sunshine in!
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